Morton fans 12, A’s lose fifth straight

HOUSTON — Charlie Morton liked the way the Houston Astros rallied for their latest win.

Morton struck out a careerhigh 12, George Springer singled home the tying run in his return from a leg injury and the Astros beat Oakland 9-4 to send the Athletics to their fifth straight loss.

Khris Davis hit a three-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the third, putting Oakland ahead 4-3 with his ninth home run this season.

Despite an early 3-0 deficit, the Astros wasted no time clawing their way back into the game, matching Oakland’s three-run first inning. Morton said that ability to persevere and mount comebacks on a regular basis makes Houston special.

“There are teams that score runs and there are teams that are gritty,” Morton said. “The teams that have grit — they win. Most games, it’s easier when you score five, six, seven, eight runs. But there’s a grit factor in this team that I’ve seen in winners that squeak it out no matter what. There’s so much talent, but there’s also that X-factor — the grit.”

Springer, back from a strained left hamstring that forced him to miss four games, singled to tie the score in the fourth.

Houston took a 6-4 lead in the fifth on Evan Gattis’ RBI single and Alex Bregman’s sacrifice fly. Carlos Beltran had reached on a throwing error by second baseman Jed Lowrie, one of a season-high three errors by the A’s that led to three unearned runs against Jharel Cotton (23).

Yuli Gurriel homered against Cesar Valdez for a 7-4 lead in the seventh, and Carlos Correa hit a two-run double in the eighth.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he enjoyed having his regular starting lineup available again after the Astros dealt with minor injuries throughout the week.